Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages, a local Coca-Cola bottler serving Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York City, and WestRock, has successfully completed the installation of new equipment and technology to begin packaging multipack bottled beverages in recyclable paperboard carriers. The new packaging, which will replace an estimated 200,000 pounds of plastic rings each year, is now starting to appear on store shelves. WestRock designed the substrate, technology and packaging machine used to implement PETCollarTM Shield Plus into beverage packaging lines, which the local bottler installed at its Philadelphia production facility earlier this year. The durable, easy-to-hold paper-based carriers are being used to package Coca-Cola’s top brands in multipacks for 12-ounce (355 millileter) and 16.9-ounce (500 milliliter) beverages. Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages is the first beverage distributor in the world to implement this specific type of paperboard packaging. “The new packaging technology allows us to completely replace plastic rings with paperboard carriers for products produced at our Philadelphia facility,” said Fran McGorry, co-owner of Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages. “We expect to replace 200,000 pounds of plastic a year from our multi-state territory.”

LEIPA Group is pleased to announce another addition to its Sales team: Mike Petersen will be joining us on May 1st, 2021, as Head of Sales Packaging Paper and will have overall responsibility for all related end-to-end sales processes and functions. In this capacity, Mr. Petersen will report to LEIPA Group’s Chief Sales Officer, Dr. Fabian Gaus. Mr. Petersen joins us from the Prinzhorn Group, where his last positions were Managing Director for optimizing the sales set-up of 24 containerboard plants in Europe, and General Manager and Sales Director for their Dunapack Spremberg operation. Previous engagements included management positions in Sales with Igepa, Papier Union and Mondi.

Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc. (MPM), a family-owned manufacturer that delivers high-performance specialty papers for the technical, packaging and printing markets, today announced its Kona® portfolio of packaging substrates that is made with non-wood fiber from used burlap bags diverted from the landfill. Monadnock entered an exclusive licensing agreement with Arch Paper LLC and Whiting Paper Company for the production of a range of Kona paper and board products. Under a patented process, Monadnock is incorporating reclaimed burlap coffee bean bags into a variety of print and packaging substrates for the retail and hospitality markets. The roasted shades and variegated fibers impart a beautiful and natural aesthetic that is smooth to the touch and pleasing to the eye. Monadnock's Kona line includes stocks for hang tags, price tickets, folding boxes and wet-strength labels. They are all Forest Stewardship Council Certified and are manufactured carbon-neutral using Green-e certified renewable electricity. Click Read More below for additional information.